Saturday, June 23, 2012

Is There Anything A Stadium Can't Solve?

We're broke. (Well, at least that's what Scott Walker keeps telling us.)

What better time to build a few hundred million dollar stadium?

Yes, we're no longer just considering upgrading the Bradley Center.

The power brokers and urban growth coalition of Milwaukee are scheming to build a completely new stadium on vacant Park East land.

No one would love to see development along this corridor more than me, but as I (and much more rigorous analysts before me) have written many times, stadiums are not economic catalysts.

We have no money for public workers, parks, trains, schools, green energy, or numerous other projects that would benefit the majority of citizens. But we have more than enough cash for tax cuts, bailouts, stadiums, and any other scams well-connected private-sector actors can imagine.

You may be out of work, but at least the Bucks will have a shiny new stadium to play in. Hooray!

For Further Reading:
Basket Case
Buck The System
Buck You
Economic Engine Or Albatross?
Overblown Bradley Center Impacts
Stadium Rip-off(s)
Stadium Swindle 
The Time Is Now?

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